An anti-US protester dressed like the Statue of Liberty stands next to a giant mock US flag during a protest near the Malacanang palace in Manila, as US President Barack Obama‘s visit to the capital winds down. The protesters were protesting against the newly-signed defense agreement between the US and the Philippines.

A man whips a devotee during a Maundy Thursday ritual by penitents to atone for sins in Angeles, Pampanga north of Manila. Flagellation is a form of religious discipline observed every lenten season by Catholic devotees in the Philippines

Volunteers light candles during the “Light of Peace in the Philippines” event in Oton town in Iloilo province, central Philippines. The event achieved a Guinness world record for the largest candle-lit image with 56,690 candles forming the map of the country.

Supporters of a controversial birth control law celebrate in front of the court in Baguio City, north of Manila, on Tuesday, after the Philippines supreme court declared it as not unconstitutional, as church groups had asserted

Filipino activists wear painted skull masks at a march outside the US embassy in Manila, Philippines, on Monday to condemn an upcoming visit by US President Barack Obama. Activists also called for an end to the presence of US troops in the country and the visiting forces agreement.

A Filipino student protests outside the US embassy in Manila, Philippines, in a rally condemning the docking of the USS Blue Ridge and the upcoming visit of US President Barack Obama. Activists also called for an end to the presence of US troops in the country and the Visiting Forces Agreement.

A painting of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 at the Benigno Ninoy Aquino High School grounds in Makati City, south of Manila, Philippines. Artists from the Guhit Visual Arts Group painted the image to express hope and solidarity for the passengers and crew of the missing flight.

Firemen spray a water cannon at protesters forcing their way towards the US embassy in Manila on Tuesday during a protest against the forthcoming visit of US president Barack Obama. The protesters were also calling for the pullout of US troops in the country under the Visiting Forces Agreement.

Dozens of Filipino and Vietnamese nationals rally outside the Chinese embassy in Makati’s financial district, south of Manila, the Philippines, to protest against China’s behaviour in a territorial dispute in the South China Sea. Janicee Buco, wearing red shoes, addresses the crowd as they commemorate the 1979 Vietnam-China border war.

Typhoon victims queue for food at an evacuation centre in Tacloban city in central Philippines on Thursday. Thousands of people made homeless by the super Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the central part of the country nearly 100 days ago, are still living in tents and makeshift shelters.

A man carries his children as they leave their shanty during a demolition of a squatters’ area on Monday in Quezon City in the Philippines. Dozens were hurt during clashes triggered by the demolition of the settlement.

A baby rests on a hammock inside an indoor basketball gym, which has been turned into an evacuation centre for flooding victims, in Jabonga, Agusan del Norte in the Philippines. The death toll from the floods and landslides in Mindanao caused by a lingering low-pressure area climbed to 34 on Friday, while more than 300,000 people have been displaced due to flooding and landslides.

A worker checks the coal as he roasts pigs in Manila on Monday for the busy holiday season. ‘Lechon’, or roasted pig, has always been a regular fare at Philippine festivities, especially during Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Survivors of Typhoon Haiyan jostle for plastic bags of food along a road in Tacloban city, central Philippines. The typhoon, one of the most powerful on record, hit the country’s eastern seaboard on November 8.